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Angela Hewitt facts for kids

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Angela Hewitt Toronto2017 (cropped)
Angela Hewitt at a concert in 2017

Angela Hewitt is a famous Canadian classical pianist, born on July 26, 1958. She is especially known for playing the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, a very old and famous composer.

Her Musical Journey

Angela Hewitt was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Her father, Godfrey Hewitt, was a choirmaster, which means he led a choir at a church. Angela started playing the piano when she was just three years old, learning from her mother.

She was a very talented child and received a scholarship at age five. This helped her continue her music studies. She also learned to play the violin and recorder, and even took ballet lessons!

When she was nine, Angela performed her first full concert. She studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and later at the University of Ottawa. There, she learned from a French pianist named Jean-Paul Sevilla.

Playing Around the World

Angela Hewitt has performed in concerts all over the world, both by herself and with orchestras. She is most famous for her recordings of Bach's music. She started recording all of Bach's main keyboard pieces in 1994 and finished in 2005. One of her special recordings is of Bach's The Art of Fugue.

She has also recorded music by many other famous composers like Maurice Ravel, Robert Schumann, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Frédéric Chopin. She has recorded concertos (pieces for piano and orchestra) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Schumann.

In 2007 and 2008, Angela spent a whole year performing Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier in major cities worldwide. She even released a DVD about how she plays Bach's music on the piano.

Trasimeno Music Festival

In 2005, Angela started her own music festival called the Trasimeno Music Festival. It takes place in Umbria, Italy, near a beautiful lake. She is the artistic director, which means she helps choose the musicians and plan the concerts.

Her Special Piano

Since 2002, Angela has played Fazioli pianos, which are very special and high-quality instruments. In 2020, her unique Fazioli piano was accidentally dropped by movers and was too damaged to be fixed. Luckily, she was able to choose a new Fazioli piano in 2021.

Awards and Honors

Angela Hewitt has won many awards throughout her career.

  • In 1975, she won two competitions: the Chopin Young Pianists' Competition and a Bach competition.
  • She won first prize in the Toronto International Bach Piano Competition in 1985. This led to her first recording with a major record company.
  • In 1986, the Canadian Music Council named her "Artist of the Year."

Special Canadian and British Honors

Angela has received very high honors from both Canada and the United Kingdom:

  • In 2000, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. This is a very important award given to Canadians who have made a big difference.
  • In 2015, she was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada, which is the highest level of this honor.
  • In 2006, she was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by the Queen of England.

Other Recognitions

  • She won the Gramophone Award for Artist of the Year in 2006.
  • In 2010, she received the MIDEM Classical Award for Instrumentalist of the Year.
  • She has also received many honorary degrees from universities in Canada and the UK. This means they recognized her achievements by giving her a special university degree.

Personal Life

After living in Paris for several years, Angela Hewitt moved to London, England, in 1985. London has been her main home ever since.

Selected Recordings

Here are some of the albums Angela Hewitt has recorded:

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Angela Hewitt para niños

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